“There were a lot of explosions as we arrived,” Waters said. “It was small explosions and obvious ammunition going off. That made it a little dicey.”

He said in those situations firefighters keep low and wait for the explosions to stop before getting too close. He said there was also a 20-pound propane tank nearby, but it was not close enough to the fire to be a concern.

Once firefighters had the fire out they began overhaul. They found that the mobile home was packed full of material that fueled the blaze.

He said it appeared the mobile home was used for storage.

Firefighters were on scene until about 5:15 a.m.

Jason Church, a neighbor, said his dog woke him up as the fire started and when he saw the flames he called 9-1-1.

Church commended the volunteer firefighters.

“We have good people who are volunteers. They were woken in the middle of the night and they responded to the call,” Church said. “Without their capability, that fire easily could have spread and put humans and animals in harm’s way.”

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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at [email protected].